Yoenis Cespedes back in A’s lineup; Brandon McCarthy’s MRI shows no major damage

The latest from Coors Field, where it’s another really great night for baseball. There’s absolutely no wind at the moment, unlike Tuesday night …

Left fielder Yoenis Cespedes is back in the A’s lineup Wednesday after missing four games with a strained left hamstring. Cespedes said he is not yet back to full strength but is OK to play. “I want to try to control my speed,” he said through interpreter Ariel Prieto. “I’m going to try to run, and if I can go 100 percent I’ll do that. If I have to go 80 to 90 percent, that’s the speed I’m going to do.”

–It appears right-hander Brandon McCarthy’s shoulder injury is not as serious as the A’s feared, but the right-hander could still be bound for the disabled list. “He had an MRI and there weren’t any changes in there,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin, indicating there is no structural damage. “Whether or not he’s able to pitch Saturday, that’s probably in doubt. But I’m not going to rule it out.” Melvin said the A’s would decide Thursday if McCarthy can start Saturday at home against San Diego or whether a D.L. stint is needed. If he can’t pitch, Triple-A starters Graham Godfrey and Tyson Ross are the two candidates to take his place.

–Melvin was chosen by Texas manager Ron Washington as one of his All-Star coaches for the American League squad. “Ron called and asked me, and it didn’t take long to accept that,” Melvin said. “The All-Star Game is a feather in anybody’s cap.” Melvin did not want to discuss publicly who he thinks the A’s top All-Star candidates are, but he said he would likely recommend some names to Washington. The A’s haven’t landed a position player on the All-Star team since catcher Ramon Hernandez in 2003. Given that, Melvin said he “potentially” could push for a position player. Right fielder Josh Reddick would be the obvious candidate at this point if Melvin went that route. He’s leading the A’s in homers (14) and RBI (30), and he’s tied for fifth among AL outfielders with five assists. On the pitching side, it’s hard to ignore rookie reliever Ryan Cook’s numbers. I could see him going as a similar pick to rookie Andrew Bailey back in 2009.

–The A’s are on the verge of signing top draft pick Addison Russell, a shortstop from Pace High School (Fla.). Russell’s high school coach, Charlie Warner, confirmed that Russell is flying to Oakland on Thursday and will be a guest of the A’s at the Coliseum on Friday. Russell told the Pensacola News Journal that his signing bonus is at least the $2.625 million that he was slotted to receive as the No. 11 overall pick. He did not name a specific figure.